Vehicle spring



May 28, 1929.

T. A. HOOVER VEHICLE SPRING Filled March 9, 1925 Inventor. M d( www.

l E Atorne s.

Patented YMay 28, 19.29.

VEHICLE SPRING.

Appncatipnma ifrarh 9, y1925; serial"ira:13,954.1 l

p This invention relates' to a vehicle `frame suspension, andparticularly pertains Vto a vehicle spring adapted to be interposedybetween the frame of a vehicle and the axles.v

jpo'sed.. These springs have vbeen designed [with an idea to Vobtainsuliicient strength V"to carry the normal'weight vof l'a load superi U`V2L1QI1 Showing a-modifi'edl f ormrfof the inl posed -upon them,'and towithstand the excessive force exerted againstlthem whenthe i' wheels ofthe axle encounter irregularities inV theY-roadway,or when the vehiclebody i"frebounds'after such a shocln In addition to the provision; ofsufficient AZQgstrength in the spring to withstand the max- 'imumV'strains to which the spring might be subjected, it has -atalltimes'been attempted vto provide a spring of Vsuflicient flexibilityto absorb minimum vibration imparted `by the axle from the roadway, andto obtain suficient deflection when excessive shocks 'are delivered tojthe'y axle'to insure that a flarge percentage of the force vis absorbedin the spring and will not be imparted to `jNot the leastvoftheproblemrs of the spring designe'nisthe provision of means'A for pre#venting excessive rebound of the' vehicle body after an 'excessive'shockhas been transmitted jt'o the spring' through' the axle,"jan`d` it is Ithe principal object of the present invention to providel a 'vehiclespring which is of sutli-v `r(':ientstrength to' accommodate a maximumvIJforce imparted to 'the spring, 'and isyet so 40designedas to iniaVveryl sensitive manner absorb minor'fstrains'and vibrations, and tobuildup suitable'resistancev against the rei bound force of the vehiclebody.

The present inventionV lcontemplates the 'Y use of aIsemiellipticalspring 'made of a plu- `form of a completeV spring leavesar`e'loopedzto,k form the auxiliary v is substantially' the saine assemi-elliptical. .vehicle springs ofordinary design, thev priesv fmFigs. and3,wherey itpvwill be seen that "the upper Vspring'leaf 14evisfbent upon itself` rality of superposed graduatedleaves,` the,Vuppermost one of which is formed with a# fspring i eye at itsV forwardend to be pivotl e. ally 1 connected 1to1 thef rarne' :of a vehicle, fand vonthe rear end of'which'leaf are'dispolsed f' plurality ofupperleaves be'ntover and "upon ythemselv esto produce a' short upper auxil-vf iaryvspring,, the terminating end of' which "isfpiv'tally connectedthr'oughlg vSpring The inventan isunajmtfec1-A byiyayfof example inthe.accompanying drawings, in which:k Y

Fig., 1 `is a side velevation :showingwone 'embodyingl the' present`invention.V Y, f 'i 1 Fig. 2 is an enlarged. fragmentary ,viewfin- 'iside elevation showing thedetails of con-Q I' istru'ctionzofpthe'auxiliaryspring loop. r

Flgi 3 is'aview. 1n vertical section through yon the line 3- 3 kof Fig.2.'

i Fig' 41S 'a fragmentary viewin-sidefe1@- vention.' 1

vation showing another lnodilication' of 'the invention, in which-aplurality of the upper spring section; f Referring moreparticularly'tothe draw.-y

*ing, 10 indicatesone of the-side rame'mem- 5 bers' of an automobilemainframe. A spring x bolt mounting i 11 is fastened tothis Aframe and`pro]ects 'downwardly to "f receive Y the s0 "spring -bolt 12l of aspring 13.V The bolt 12" l I passes throughfan' e'ye in the upperleaffll of the spring.

As shown `in Fig. l 1 of the drawing, the4 spring is formed loflaminated steel, plates center of and beneath which agvehicle axle 15 issecuredby clevis bolts 15.V 'j a The general construction ol thel spring13` ent invention residing, however, in the struc-` ture'incorploratedin the rear end-ofthe f spring. Tv 1s structure' is" shownv.in ,detail toformpa-loop'fl. Itis to1 be understood .thatvariousmodiications in'this'form might y f be made, asforexamplefinfFig, the loop vis' 'formed` byriveting a separate piece='17 V10b."

onto lthe spring leaf 14,'while inf Fig. i5,

plurality of the upper leavesare V'upon p themselves to 'form the loop.

In the form of the invention shown in' lFigs.' 1,2 and 8,jthe loopv isformed by bend-p 105 i ing an end extension 14:jback`uponthe upper.' y.l face of theleaf'll. At'thepointoffthe bend, the contiguous facesVofthe. leaf '145-andthefY -section .J1/iff bear' directlyjupon. each;other, v and'gradually velixxzergfe,z trruiafeaclr other :in i101 f'rHoMAs A. HOOVER, 0E QAKLANE; CALIFORNIA. i'

6 5- the springV shackle and the spring', as viewed e5 i ofV graduatedlengths at 'substantially"theif.1

forming va,V\ shaped throatV of considerablel length, as for example, inthe construction of a Vehicle spring measuring forty inches from eye `toeye, the loop will add alength ofA seven or eight inches, and-the spaceinsjthe "loopwill have a. maximum opening of approximately one inch.

. ofthe'spring leaf 14 vandtheentension 14 areadapted to lgradually"fold"downupon' ,eachiother the spring is "deflected, thusv l'graduallybuilding up the Vresistance between the supplemental' ysl'ning leaf '14and lthe pmain spring. a

The teriiiinatingend the member.-V 14 vis formed'with a spring'eye toreceive afb'olt 1,8, ThiS :springbolt passes through .a pair Y V'ofspringshackles 1.9 and20 disposed upon oppositesidesof tbespring ey-eand pivot-` 'l l ally securedto them-ain frame attheir upper K' endsQ bya boltv 2l'. Supplemental. shackle plates'QZ and V23are Valso pivotallysupported uponA the spring bolt 18, and depend therei i from.;llliese;'plates'l extend along opposite sides-'of the main leaves of thespring l13,

and. yarey held: in yiixedv spaced `relation to A,

each oth, r bfyg'a bolt and` al spacing bushvMounted upon the spacingybushing `is a rubber sleeve 26 which acts to deaden the soundinrtheeventVthat theyehicle body A Y, rebounds, and eaus'esthe under-'side oi the jrvspring leayes to be struclrbythe usleeve-,on the bolt. f

Cil

i In,v operationuoffthe `present invention, it

:will be assumedthat avehicle is equipped Vwith. springs of thechenacterl shown inF ig. lfof Y the" drawing. [In designing.jspringstheleaves maybemade ofthi-nner material Athan is .usualorvsupportingfthe same amount of weight, kas for example, it` Wwillbeassumed that a spring embodying the present invention is to kdisplacean` ordinary semi-ellipticall springkfoi'ty inchesplong, llav- "ingseven' leaves of, ,fige-sixteenth.:inches Avthickness,V and Vwith 1 akmaximumi deflection otfour andonerhalfl inches. ,The new springvmadeafcoording .tothe presenti incommodate a forty inch spring, but theyspring will be approximately ortyeight inches long, willbe made ofseven leavesoneuarter inchthiek andvwitha maximumk de- .BynesVdesign.approximately lil-fteen togeighteen perlicei-ion olisi'xandonehalf inches.

1 .eentlrof the springw-eight will be e'liminai'zed.v

Assuming that the vsprings'have `been apf f' plied to the'vehielfe, itwill lbeevidentthat the.y y" springlo'op formed at the endvof themain..*601, leaf 14 andthesupplementalspring E14` will; 'Y increaselthedeflection rate adjacent thenor-,i malI positionwhile `maint'aining theoriginall A. deflection rate lalain/e and belowthe normalV '-pestionA,amlei Such elnactionft willbe apparent that minor strains andYyibrations The contiguous 'i'faces j,

saidV spring shackle.

imparted to the springwill be absorbed byl l. i

the actionof the-flight spring loop, and that aboveand below the normalposition.

`after the'loop Vhas completely Vclosed, the Y "spring will then actinits'customary man-l fner'toresist major shock and Vibrations bothlAttention is also directed to the fact that Y bythe vuse ofthepresentinvention, sympa! thetic Vibration of the spring will be eli'm-r iinalfed when large shocks Yare encountered,

as the auxiliaryspringwill tend to; breaknp ferent periodicity.`

Vthis vibration by setting Vibrations of.

VIt'will also beobseriiedftliat the..linii'iorv rebound impulses ofthejlrame -will causethe loopformed bypthle main leaf. 1,4 and the'auxiliary` leaf 14 togopen, andinsodoing, will'tend to check thisrebound,while'thel majorrebound `orcewwill be damped.by,the-1,; v.85 24with its rubber casing strilfes then-nder resistanceofthe` main springwhen thebolt sideoithe springleayes, and .tends tovdraw iaryspring leafv14. 'I y c i, In ,thefother'forms ,of the inyentioninrhcated inv Figs.4 and cf the drawing, itv will -them vin a cooperativedaction with.theauxjil-`v be evident `that like results willtale place, although`the r; details of' 'construction 5 are. y i

slightly different.V

Vhile I have shownjthe preiierredlorm'- of .my invention as nowi known1tonie, I'v `wish it understood Ythat yariousfchanges mayy be made itsconstruction, without de- Y parting fronpthe spirit'of the inventionclaimed.; V-

l Y Having thus ydescribed ymyv invention, Ywhat ent. is-f L f l vl. Incombination with iautornobile,-y running gear and a frame ,carriedthereby, a'-

fvehicle spring supporting saidframeonthe running; gear, comprising asemi-elliptical leaves being the longest,ja `spring eyeforined ,'I'claimand ldesire to secure by Letters Pat- I Y laminated lspring Lformed ofvajy plurality of 4ii graduated leaves, themupper'most V of saidv "T110"Yinthe uppermost leaf,means for piyotallyj` f and the auxiliaryspringlealfwill ,lelausethese leaves' to "gradually close` lagainst,VeachV other, 4

yanda Vspring eye formed .at the lfree v and lof the auxiliary lefif[and tally secured to l2. In combination With an automobile yrunninggear and a A'frame carried thereby,y a vehicle spring supporting saidframe on the running gear, comprising a lsemi-ellipti-l cal laminatedspring formed ofa plurality of graduated leaves, the uppermost of saidleaves being the longest, a spring eyeV formed in the uppermost leaf,means for pivotally connecting said end of said leaf to the vehicleframe, a spring shackle carried by the main frame at a point on theoppositeside of the center of the Vspring substantially at y equaldistances from the center of the spring to the spring eye, acontinuation of the long leaf of the springextending beneath `and beyondthe shackle, an auxiliary spring section disposedabove said extendingportion of the long spring'and beingfixed thereto at its outer end, saidauxiliary spring section gradually diverging from the extending portionof the long leaf whereby 'flexure of the extending portion of the longleaf and the auxiliary spring leaffivill cause these leaves to graduallyclose against each other, .a spring eye formed at the free end of theauxiliary leaf l and pivotally secured to said spring shackle, a stirruppivotally dependent from said I frame.

' shackle and carrying a stop memberV extendl ing beneath `the mainspring and adapted to engage the sameon rebound of the vehicle 3. Incombination With l running gear and a frame carried thereby, a

leaves being l in the uppermost leaf, means for pivotally connectingsaid end ofy saidv leaf 'to the vekhicle frame, aspring shacklecarriedby the main framel at apoint on the opposite. side vehiclespringlsupporting said frame on theA running gear, comprising asemi-elliptical l laminated springformed of a plurality of rgraduatedleaves,

the v uppermostjof 4said the longest, a'spring eye formed ofthe centerof the springv substantially at equal distances from the center ofthespring to the spring eye, a continuation-of the long leaf of the springextending beneath and beyond the shackle, an auxiliary springy sectiondisposed above said extending portion of the long spring and being fixedthereto at 'its outer end, said auxiliary spring section ltion ofthelong an automobile extending portion of thelongVK leaf and-the springVeye'formed at the free end of theaux-- iliary Vleaf vand pivotallylsecured to .said

*gradually divergingfrom the extending pori leaf whereby lexure of thefauxiliary springleaf Willcause these leaves j.. vto gradually 'closeagainst veach other, f a

spring shackle, astii'rup pivotally dependent from said shackle andcarrying astopmeni-v fr.

60 adapted to engage the .same on'V rebound/of 'y the vvehicle frame,andv a buffer"xmemb'evarr'A ber extending beneath the linain springandforming apart of said stop; l

f4.' In combination With `and an` automobile main; frame, at ,front anautomobile axle,` i

spring'inounting anda rear spring mounting disposed substantiallyequaldistances upon Y f opposite sidesof the vertical center ofthe axleand beingsec'ured to the frame, a spring f bolt carried by saidfrontspring mounting, spring shackles pivotally carried by said rear,`spr-ing mounting,

'i a vehicle spring formed of a plurality of spring leaves pro- 'Vgressively v increasingin length from j the 75 'Y lowermost leaf `to themainfleaf, aneye formed in one end of said' main leaf Land v beingpivotally secured-to the frontspring mounting by the spring bolt, theopposite end of said main leaf' extending beneath and beyond the rearspring mountinggandform-'- y ing aV relatively flexible leaf extension,ani V auxiliary spring leaf fixed kto theouter end i of saidyextensionof the inain leaf kand extendingl above the extendingportionofsaid main leaf andj gradually divergng there-e5 from, a springeye in the free end of said Y vauxiliary leaf and a' shackle pin`pivotally,`

securing said. eyeV tothe spring shackle frame orshock to thewheels ofthe vaxle Will cause the extension of the main leafiand- 'Wherebyexcessive load kupon the' vehicle i.

auxiliary `leaf .to graduallyv flex 'toward each -v from the: shacklebolt and! embracingpthe action takesplace; y A ,c y

THOMAS A.

